Microsoft to axe Win 8 coder certificate exams

Old qualifications for Windows Store developers put on death row for six months

In six months Microsoft will cull some of its Windows app store developer qualifications.

From September, Microsoft will no longer offer today's basic or advanced certification exams for developing Windows Store apps in C#, JavaScript, and HTML5. Out too are the recertification exams for Microsoft certified solutions developers who are building apps for the store in C# and HTML5.

In effect, Redmond is steering programmers away from its Windows 8-era tests, and pushing them toward new universal Windows 10-friendly qualifications.

"As technology changes, we add new exams and revise or retire older exams ... Keep in mind that even if an exam that is part of a certification you earned is retired, your certification is still valid," said Liberty Munson, principal psychometrician for Microsoft Learning, on Tuesday.

"When an exam you passed is retired, the exam record remains on your transcript. If you’re working toward a certification that includes one of the exams listed for retirement, please be sure to take the exam prior to the retirement date. Allow time for a retake if necessary."

Also on the chopping block are the basic and advanced exams in SharePoint Server 2013 (understandable with the 2016 version expected shortly) as well as recertification for SharePoint applications. The upgrade exams for Microsoft Certified Professional Developers are also ending in six months.

Microsoft's exams do come in for some stick in the industry, considering some are rather easy. There have been cases passes being earned by children: a five year-old passed Microsoft's Certified Professional exam and another a year older qualifying for a Microsoft Office Specialist certification.

But there are a fair few employers and recruiters who won't touch a developer without some box-ticking qualifications under their belt, so if you do want to get skilled up, you better move quickly. ®